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| The Grand Turk |
| Turkey's top cleric returns luxury car after strong criticism |
| 2015-05-06 |
| [Hurriyet Daily News] ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's top holy man, Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) head Mehmet Görmez, has said he will return his 1 million Turkish Lira ($435,000) official car that was recently purchased, following strong criticism from opposition parties and the public. "When the news broke [about the purchase], the vehicle had not even been used by the head of the Diyanet [the Religious Affairs Directorate]. This vehicle turned into a grave for me after I saw the reports. I have not used this car for even one day," Görmez told private broadcaster Haberturk TV late May 4 in an interview. "Therefore, I will return this car to constitute an example," he added. Although admitting that his office issued the request for a new official car because the current one was too old, he described news reports about the purchase as a "campaign to discredit the Diyanet." The purchase of a Mercedes S500 sedan, worth 1 million Turkish Liras ($435,000) for the holy man, in addition to 14 Toyota cars for the Diyanet's general directors and 16 minibuses for general use, stirred up strong reaction against the directorate. The Diyanet announced on Dec. 13 that the purchases had been made with state funds, not with citizens' private donations. Earlier in December, Görmez was featured in international media when he met Pope Francis, during the latter's historic visit to Turkey. It was reported that the Turkish authorities had refused the Pope's request for "a humble car" in Ankara on the grounds of security. Nevertheless, in Istanbul, the pontiff surprised many onlookers when he arrived in a modest vehicle bearing a civilian license plate. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Don't forget the compass that always points to Mecca! |
| Posted by: Hupineger Glomomp52169 2015-05-06 13:30 |
| #2 Add bullet proof windows and tires, kevlar in the doors and the price goes up. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2015-05-06 11:47 |
| #1 Well, Mehmet Görmez, you had quite a ride there for a while, it must have been the "accessories" that doubled the MSRP. Mercedes S500 Sedan MSRP: $94,400 - $230,900 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class All-new last year, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class gains a few variants for the new model year. The two-door S-Class Coupe joins the lineup this year, as does the high-power S63 AMG and S65 AMG. The base 2015 S-Class comes standard in S550 form with a 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 producing 455 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The S63 AMG gets a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 |
| Posted by: Gruling Lumplump6227 2015-05-06 07:30 |